Legalization of Cannabis and is impact at the workplace

By Miguel Tomas

The first thing we should consider when addressing this topic is the impact of drug abuse.
According to Melvin, Davis and Koch (2012), as of 2007 there were 22.3 million people who
met criteria for substance abuse or dependence in the United States. In this group of
people, about 33.9% are unemployed, which is significantly higher than the general
unemployment rate, which bordered 9% at that time (p. 32). Also, it is important to consider
that, according to Newstrom (2015), “[a]bsentee rates for workers with drug problems may
be as much as 16 times higher than for nonusers, with accident rates 4 times as high” (p.
265).

Despite American laws having turned considerably more permissive regarding the use of
Cannabis than they were before, we shouldn’t forget that its abuse has consequences, or at
least that it is associated with more frequent comorbidities that are described in a condition
called “Cannabis use disorder”, which is usually conditioned by pre-existing environmental
and genetic factors. What I find most interesting is the fact that there are certain problems
related to substance abuse or psychiatric disorders that are more frequent in marijuana
users, such as alcohol abuse –it is 2 to 5.43 times more likely that cannabis users develop
alcohol disorder–, opiates consumption –2.6 times more likely to consume heroin–,
personality disorders such as antisocial personality disorder, and other psychiatric
conditions such as major depression, bipolar disorder, etcetera (Gorelick, Saxon, &
Hermann; 2016).

On the other hand, according to Russo and Vetrano Pryor (2013), “[i]n recent years, 20
states have legalized “medical marijuana”, [...] a physician-prescribed use of marijuana for
patients suffering from cancer, AIDS, multiple sclerosis, pain, glaucoma and similar
debilitating illnesses” (p. 42). Despite this fact, we should not forget that “marijuana is illegal
under federal law, [because its h]igh potential for abuse; [h]as not currently accepted
medical use in treatment in the United States; and, [t]here is lack of accepted safety for use
of the drug under medical supervision” (p. 43). Employers can still fire an employee for
consumption of marijuana on a bona fide basis, should they think it is dangerous or
detrimental for the workplace, such as the case of mine property.

References

Gorelick, D., Saxon, A., & Hermann, R. (2016). Cannabis use and disorder: Epidemiology,
comorbidity, health consequences, and medico-legal status. Retrieved from UpToDate
database.

Melvin, A. M., Davis, S., & Koch, D. S. (2012). Employment as a Predictor of Substance Abuse
Treatment. Journal of Rehabilitation, 78(4), pp. 31-37.

Newstrom, J. (2015). Organizational Behavior: Human Behavior at Work (14th Ed.). New
York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education.
Russo, K. J., & Vetrano Pryor, D. (2013). Medical Marijuana and the Workplace. Rock
Products, 116(9), pp. 42-43